A North American organization fighting for the rights of people who have left Islam has finally received permission for open advertising. It is reported that group leaders received multiple denials of cooperation due to fear of angering religious communities.

On billboards, statistics are provided that “Nearly one in four Muslims raised in the US have left Islam”. This figure shows that people want freedom of choice, strive for it, but encounter extremely cruel treatment and oppression by people who adhere to the commandments of Islam.

One such victim was Mahad, a Somali refugee, gay, former Muslim. The organization’s official website tells the story of an escape from a conversion therapy camp in which activists contributed to it.

From the story, directly the victim of Islam itself, it follows that, having escaped from Africa due to the civil war to America and as a child, he realized that he did not want to relate himself to Muslims. At the same time, he realized that he was gay.

“Officially declared myself as an Ex-Muslim, I think in 9th grade. As far as my sexuality goes, that was around the same time, too,” said Mahad.

In an interview with Mahad, terrible things related to Islamic society are revealed. He confirmed his words about the conservatism of Muslims by the fact that he was personally sent to a special camp intended for “return back to the culture”.

His mother, an ardent adherent of Islam, the last time Mahad visited her in Kenya, sent him to a “correctional” camp with the aim of re-educating him.

“You are going to be staying here “under the leadership of a few religious clerics”, “who will lead you back to the faith,”” said his mother.

Mahad said that this is a terrible place in which disobedience or rejection is not accepted. In order to retrain, people can be tortured and beaten to death.

“And this is obviously not something I’m going to settle for because I’ve heard many horror stories of students being locked up in a facility where they’re beat to death. Where they are basically tortured. Where they are in a very horrible situations,” said Mahad.

Fortunately for Mahad, he contacted representatives of a group of Ex-Muslims who helped him escape from this concentration religious camp to the US Embassy.

“I feel extremely betrayed. I feel very upset, especially at my mother, because I had hope in her”.

“If they went as far as forging an itinerary, there is absolutely nothing they won’t do to try to get you back into the religion”.

“I want my family to know that no matter how much they truing to silence my, that’s not going to work. I’m not trying to disrespect them. I appreciate them. I still love them. I still care for them dispite all of that has happened, but I want to be openly gay and I want to be openly Ex-Muslim, and there is absolutely nothing that they can do about that,” stated Mahad.

This story is a vivid example of the attitude towards people who have shown free will, freedom of thought and freedom of speech. For the sake of religion, the mother is ready to sacrifice her son. That is why #AwesomeWithoutAllah billboards is very important in the USA.

In Muslim countries, there is still a death sentence for renunciation of religion, for confession of non-traditional sexual orientation, and recently many women were imprisoned for taking off the hijab.

“In the West, our existence is not a crime, but we still face isolation, threats, and abuse by our own families and former faith community. Unsurprisingly, many former Muslims choose to hide their lack of belief. But the first step to gain acceptance is coming out openly, without shame or fear.”

According to official information, such billboards can only be seen in three cities in the USA, these are Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston.